Palestinian reshuffled government to be sworn on Wednesday

Rabu, 16 Mei 2012 08:12 WIB | 1.547 Views

Ramallah (ANTARA News/Xinhua-OANA) - A reshuffled Palestinian cabinet, headed by caretaking government Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, will take oath before President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday, a Palestinian official said late Tuesday.

"The ministers were told to swear on Wednesday night," Ahmad Majdalani, the minister of work in the new government, told Xinhua.

The key amendment in the new government is that Fayyad, a U.S.- educated economist, gave up the finance portfolio to Nabil Qassis, the former president of Birzeit University in the West Bank.

The reshuffle was confirmed on the agriculture, justice, telecommunication, tourism and economy ministries, sources told Xinhua.

A new minister will also take over the health ministry, but his identity has not yet been confirmed, the sources added.

Fayyad`s previous government have been imbalanced by the resignation of five ministers -- most of them over corruption charges and suspicions.

Abbas tasked Fayyad to form his government after Islamic Hamas movement took over Gaza by force in 2007, where it installed its own administration. Since then, Abbas`s rule has been confined to the West Bank. (*)